Yankee Chef: Yanked Shrimp Primavera

I sincerely love changing it up. I love taking a beloved recipe, such as a great Primavera, and adding, subtracting or altering it in a way that is equally tasteful, but takes some of the fat, calories and sodium out of the mix. With the recipe below, not only have I reduced all of these but made it so that carbohydrates are at a minimal (not including the croutons of course). Spaghetti squash seeds are great baked with salt, pepper and chili powder as well.

‘Yanked’ Shrimp Primavera

1 medium spaghetti squash

3 tbs olive oil, divided

1 small summer squash, seeded and chopped

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1 small, tart apple, peeled, cored and minced

½ pound Maine shrimp

1 cup pink champagne

1 tsp dried basil

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 cup milk, divided

½ cup shredded Colby cheese

½ cup plain or garlic croutons

Parmesan cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Cut squash in half and scoop out the center, with the seeds, with a spoon. Oil the cut side of the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper and place squash, cut-side down, onto prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until there is give to the squash when pressed. Remove from oven and let cool just enough to handle.

In the meantime, prepare Primavera sauce. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add remainder of olive oil. When hot, add the apple and summer squash, cook until crisp tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the shrimp and continue cooking, and stirring, until shrimp is just done and pink, about 2 minutes. Remove shrimp, apple and squash with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add the champagne, raise heat to medium-high and reduce by half. This will take about 5 minutes. Add basil, milk and Colby cheese. Bring to scalding and stir until cheese has melted, just a minute of so. Add the shrimp mixture and stir until everything is heated through, about 30 seconds, cover and remove from heat.

With a fork, run the tines along the flesh side of the cooked squash to form “spaghetti” strands. Add these strands to the skillet, toss gently to combine and season to taste. Divide this Primavera back into the squash halves. Serve immediately with croutons tossed on top and add Parmesan cheese if desired.

The Yankee Chef Jim Bailey is a third-generation chef, food columnist, cookbook author and food historian. His first cookbook, “The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen,” has been published by Schiffer Publishing of Atglen. The book is available through Schiffer, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. For a personally signed copy of, just email Bailey at theyankeechef@aol.com. He lives in Maine with his wife and four children.